Paul Scholes says Celtic star inflicted worst tackle he ever received

Paul Scholes enjoyed a career laden with silverware and spectacular goals. At times it seemed as though there was nothing he could not do on the football pitch, except for one thing.

The former Manchester United and England midfielder had one glaring weakness to his game, tackling. Whether it be late, over-eager, or at times reckless, the maestro was a regular in the referees notebook, although rarely through malice.

Now working as a pundit for various outlets and organisations, Scholes is no longer the quiet man of English football, garnering a reputation with his incisive comments every bit as uncompromising as his tackling.

There is one tackle however which he received, which he admits stands out as being the worst of his career, admitting when he watched it back he couldn't believe how lucky he was to walk away unscathed, pointing the blame at a former Celtic star.

He told The Independent: "I had some bad tackles on me over the years but I took it as part of the game. One that stands out was a challenge by Bobo Baldé in a Champions League game against Celtic that we lost in Glasgow in 2006.

"When I watched it back later I was shocked at how my leg bowed. I had got to the ball first and he had caught me. It was nothing malicious. It happens. That was one time I didn’t try to kick him back. He was so big I would only have hurt myself."

The game in 2006 was certainly not one Scholes should remember fondly at all. Celtic won 1-0 thanks to a goal from Shunsuke Nakamura, with Louis Saha missing a late penalty for Manchester United.

Dan Coombs

Dan Coombs is a writer who is keen to embrace the internet revolution. He first started writing for us in June 2011 and commenced his new role as Sports Editor in February 2012.
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